Just another day

Posted on Fri Jul 2nd, 2021 @ 5:57am by Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik

Mission: Season 5: Episode 2: Operation Save Humanity
Location: Sthilg’s quarters
Timeline: MD6 1800 hrs
2530 words - 5.1 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

Alicia was getting bored sitting around hers & Savar’s Quarters it was lunchtime so she was guessing her father might be at home for his lunch. Deciding to drop by for a visit she made her way to Sthilg’s Quarters and pressed the chime.

Said gorn was at his small kitchen humming to himself as he worked a gorn meat pudding. Hearing the door he walked over washing his hands as he did so.

When the door opened Alicia smiled warmly. “Hi dad, I hope I’m not catching you at a busy time? Maternity leave is all very well but I was bored so I thought I’d drop by and see you.”

" No time is to busssy for me to sssspend time with you little one." the gorn said as he gave his daughter a warm hug.

Alicia happily returned her father’s hug. “Mmm What is that smell? It smells delicious!” She grinned as she peered towards the kitchen area.

" A blood pie of my people." he said warmly. " I've had to use some earth meats for it though, The replicator never gets my people native animals right." the gorn said leading the way to his work station where what appeared to be a large black pudding was taking shape.

“A... blood pie?” Alicia didn’t look quite so keen given the name. “I’m not sure whether to say yummy or yuck!” She pulled a funny face.

The doctor let out a chukle. " It's okay my dear. The blood is only used for making a ssstock to sssoak the meat in. We have pigeon, wild boar, rabbit, and bacon. " He said pointing to the four different meat leayers. " Would you like to help me make the passstry?" He asked

“I would love to!” Alicia grinned and nodded. “It’s been ages since I last got to make pastry.” She washed her hands, then dried them ready to help.

The gorn smiled as he and his daughter got to work. " So how's my son in law and grandson doing?" He inquired.

“Savar is... Savar!” Alicia grinned. “As for Connor he’s growing up a little every day. To be honest this maternity leave has given me more time to bond with him, which is a good thing. I decided to keep the nursery schedule the same though for his routine.” She rolled out the doe for the pastry. “How thick do you want this? I’m never good with pastry thickness.”

" Quite thick the ssstock can be very thick and we don't want it leaking." The doctor said as he greased up a backing tin. " I'm glad they're both doing well. "

Alicia finished rolling the pastry. “Is that okay?” She stepped back to let Sthilg check her work, massaging her bump as she did so. She was doing her best not to show that was experiencing very uncomfortable braxton hicks contractions, at least that was what she was hoping it was.

" That will do nicely my dear. Now pleassse take a ssseat." he said in his doctor voice. He could see his daughter open her mouth, but he cut her off. " Little one i've been doing my trade from long before you were born. i can reconissse the sssignsss of braxton hicksss contractionsss."

“Why do I bother trying to fool you!” Alicia smiled as she reverted to practicing her breathing exercises. “This little one is getting ready early enough, or at least my body is. I know from reading that the baby drops lower in readiness for being born. “I think this little one has definitely started to move, the weight feels... different somehow.”

" It ssshoudn't be long now. In lesssss than a month you be holding a newborn girl in your armsss." The old doctor replied as he brought her a fold-up chair from another room.

Alicia smiled. “As much as I’m looking forward to it, the idea of going into labour scares me half to death! It’s just... a fear of the unknown. I have every faith in you, in-fact I’m glad you’ll be the one delivering her. These false labour pains are uncomfortable enough, I dread to think what the real ones will be like!”

" You'll do fine little one. Your ssstrong and healthy and you have the bessst doctor in the federation." The old doctor said as he unfolded the chair and helped her into it.

Alicia grinned. “Now that’s very true! You know when we came back from the mirror universe I noticed how you acted around the crew. I met him... the other you, he was nothing like you! He didn’t care about his patients, only the ones he could alter for his own ends. You are the most caring, loving, dedicated doctor and father that anyone could want. You are the best!”

" I doubt that monster even did the alterationsss. I think he paid someone to do it. The handsss that made sssome of those marksss weren't gorn." the old gorn added.

“Are you sure?” Alicia looked at her father curiously. “I saw what he was doing in that, so called sickbay, I wasn’t there that long I’ll admit. I was only there long enough for him to collar me and try to kill me, if it hadn’t been for Savar he’d have had me sold off and moved on. Anyway... that’s all in the past, I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories.”

" Indeed. He'sss dead and is forced to wander the wastelandsss sssurrounding the hunting groundsss foerever. " The gorn said blinking a few times as he banished the memeories from his head. " How'sss my grandssson doing?" He inquired wanting to change the subject.

“Connor is fine, he loves that teddy you gave him last visit he won’t sleep without it!” She grinned. “I have to put it down in his cot with him every night.” She sucked in a breath as another false labour pain made her wonder if something else was going on. “How do I... know if these pains... are false, or real?”

" You mean without the sssmell or without my hand ssscanner?" the old doctor inquired as he knelt down so he was at eye level with his adopted daughter. " These ones ssshould last between thirty to seixty ssseconeds. The real one will be much longer." He explained with his usual doctor tone.

Alicia nodded. Thirty seconds later the pains subsided. “Okay, that works” she grinned. “I’ll remember that! Thanks dad. Now I will stop panicking and I will relax. So what’s next to do in the kitchen?”

" We need to line the pie casssing and make the ssstock. " Sthilg said. " Which would you like to do.?"

“I’ll do the pie casing” Alicia smiled and held her hand out for Sthilg to help her up from her seat.

The old gorn held out his real arm for her to grab as he helped her up.

Taking Sthilg’s arm Alicia smiled warmly. “Can I try some when it’s cooked?”

" Off courssse my dear. I was cooking it for you in the firsst place. " He said warmly as he helped her over to the counter.

“You are the best! You know that?” Alicia grinned like the literary Cheshire Cat.

" I have a wonderful daughter who keepsss telling me that." the gorn replied as he picked up the frying pan he'd cooked the meat in along with a jug of gorn brandy and the blood.

Alicia smiled warmly. “It’s so nice having a dad again, I know for a fact my dad would have liked you. You’re his kind of person.”

" I'm sssure we'd have gotten along my dear. I hope he'sss sssaving me a drink in the hunting groundsss." The gorn said as he poured in the brandy which immediately burst into flames for a brief seconed.

Alicia nodded. “I have no doubt he’d have a big cool drink waiting.” She paused. “Speaking of my parents, my mother will be visiting next shoreleave so you’ll finally get a chance to meet her.

" Well, that will be sssomething to look forward to. " The gorn replied as he whisked the mixture together and left it to thicken. " How'sss ssshe doing?"

Alicia smiled. “Well since the day she spoke to you over subspace she hasn’t stopped talking about you! I think you made quite the impression! Be warned she isn’t shy about coming forward with her feelings, if she likes you that much she may just come out and ask you for a date.”

A look of shock and surprise spread over the Gorn's face at that. " Well, that would be sssomething. " He said feeling very confused at how he should act if she did ask him.

Alicia sensed the change. “Don’t worry dad, I’ll be around to distract mum if needs be.” She smiled. “So out of curiosity, do Gorn take mates from other species?”

" Oh it's rare, but it happensss. The hegemony and are religiousss orders have no lawsss againssst it except that one bunch of nuttersss. My Ssshassssssou would have been welcomed if we'd gone back. " The old doctor explained looking over at the repaired picture of him and his wife.

Alicia nodded. “Just for reference, I’m probably making my mum sound like some man chasing female. She’s not! I guess... it would just be nice to have a whole family again. Not that I’m saying I want you to marry my mother or anything!!” She grinned. “I’m happy the way we are.”

The gorn let out a hearty laugh as he gave his daughter a hug. " You're looking out for the both of usss no parentsss could ask for more."

Alicia grinned and hugged Sthilg back. “Oh before I forget how is Heather? I heard she’s in Sickbay as a patient?”

" Ssshe'sss doing well, but if her condition worsssensss i may have to induce labour early. Ssshe needsss ressst which i'm sssure her husband is giving her." the gorn responded.

Alicia nodded. “Well if you need me to talk with her let me know.”

" I know my dear. How's the crust coming along?" he inquired.

“I’d say it’s ready” Alicia smiled.

" Okay, let'sss carefully line the cassse before adding the filling. " The old gorn said carefully picking the pastry.

“Lining I can do” Alicia grinned and carefully set about sorting lining the case. “How’s that?”

" Looking good." The gorn said as he reached for the meat before carefully placing it in the pie crust.

“Mmmm that smells delicious!” Alicia grinned. “I can’t wait until it’s cooked.”

" I'm sssure it will." The gorn said as he carefully picked up the stock and poured it onto the meat. " Now for the lid." He said as he took the pastry from his daughter before he tapped it down.

" And now to cook for forty minutes. " He said as he carefully placed the pie in the small oven he had set up in his kitchen.

“Forty minutes it is” Alicia nodded as she walked back over to the chair and sat down. “I’ve been thinking...” she looked at the old scars on her wrists on painful times long gone. “I want these removed. I don’t need them as a reminder of my mistakes anymore, I’ve had them a long time so I know they might take longer than fresh scars to sort out. What do you think?”

" I underssstand. I can remove them, but it will take a while. " The old gorn said as he knelt down and took a look at his daughter's wrists. " A few treatmentsss with a regenerator over ssseveral weeks ssshould do it.

Alicia smiled. “Then I want to start as soon as possible. I don’t need these to remind me of the past anymore.”

" Well take a ssseat on the sssofa and we can get it ssstarted." the old gorn said as he wandered off to fetch his medical bag.

Nodding Alicia stood and moved over to the sofa, sitting down she made herself comfortable as she waited for Sthilg to return.

The gorn returned with one of his instruments. Like many of them, it was clearly of KDF origins. " Okay lay ssstill and let'sss get thisss ssstarted." he said kneeling down as he switched it on.

Alicia did as her father asked, her eyes followed every move, “I was so adamant I wanted to keep those scars, now I wish I’d listened back then. Now they just serve to remind me of the worst times.”

" Age doesss bring wisssdom and many regeretsss. " The gorn gave his wisdom as he did his work slowly moving the implement along the scar lines.

“That’s true” Alicia nodded. “Back then I thought my world had come to an end. I lost my father, then Kal and then our baby...” she paused. “Life didn’t seem worth living anymore.... but, look at me now! I have you, Savar, Connor, and this little one as well.” She smiled the biggest smile yet.

" The darkessst hour is jussst before the dawn." The gorn said reassuringly. " Never give up hope little one it'sss the one thing the universsse can't take away."

Alicia nodded and smiled. “I won’t give up, no matter what life throws at me in the future.”

The gorn smiled letting his daughter know that he would always be there with a single smile. He continued to work as he listened to her talking until he'd finished. " There we go. That will do for the firssst treatment. If we keep doing thisss once a week for a mounth or two they'll be gone for good. " He said jsut as the buzzer went off.

Walking over he carefuly pulled the pie from the oven. It was far from the perfect specimens from the replicator, but it had that home made pie look about it. Running his medical scanner over it he smiled. " All cooked just need to let it cool for a while."

“Mmm smells Devine!” Alicia smiled. “Would you like me to put some plates out ready?”

" Indeed. Do you want to call my ssson in law and my grandssson?" The gorn asked.

“I most definitely would!” Alicia grinned, “in fact I’ll go one better and fetch them myself. I’ll be back ASAP!” Giving Sthilg a big smile she headed out of the door grinning like a Cheshire Cat at just how lucky a woman she was.

The gorn smiled after her as he busied himself setting out a few more items. Knowing his son-in-law species dislike of meat he also produced a forge salad he'd made earlier. He'd never be able to eat it though. One of the roots went right through gorn digestive system like the most powerful laxatives.

He paused as his white eyes fell over the picture of his wife. " I whisssh you were here my dear. I know she'd have loved you." He said quietly before he heard the returning footsteps. He had a family to care for.